Page 459 - the-three-musketeers

29 HUNTING FOR

THE EQUIPMENTS

The most preoccupied of the four friends was certainly
d’Artagnan, although he, in his quality of Guardsman, would
be much more easily equipped than Messieurs the Muske-
teers, who were all of high rank; but our Gascon cadet was,
as may have been observed, of a provident and almost ava-
ricious character, and with that (explain the contradiction)
so vain as almost to rival Porthos. To this preoccupation of
his vanity, d’Artagnan at this moment joined an uneasiness
much less selfish. Notwithstanding all his inquiries respect-
ing Mme. Bonacieux, he could obtain no intelligence of her.
M. de Treville had spoken of her to the queen. The queen
was ignorant where the mercer’s young wife was, but had
promised to have her sought for; but this promise was very
vague and did not at all reassure d’Artagnan.
Athos did not leave his chamber; he made up his mind
not to take a single step to equip himself.
‘We have still fifteen days before us,’ said he to his
friends. ‘well, if at the end of a fortnight I have found noth-
ing, or rather if nothing has come to find me, as I, too good a
Catholic to kill myself with a pistol bullet, I will seek a good
quarrel with four of his Eminence’s Guards or with eight
Englishmen, and I will fight until one of them has killed

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